New Arrivals

Stuart McCloskey "The Majella sparkling Shiraz has a lovely mousse / palate feel and sings loud and proud. The base wine is matured in 2nd and 3rd use French oak hogsheads for 5 months before secondary fermentation. The wine is on “lees” for 12 months and using méthode traditionnelle, the bottles are hand riddled, then disgorged with a small dash of vintage port."

97 - 97+ - Stuart McCloskey “This unfurls beautifully delivering scents of cedar, sage, bay leaf, olive, clove, minerals, blackcurrant, and blackberry. Graphite too which, and if you bring the aromatic symphony together, reminds me of a Pauillac. That said, and with a little more aeration, I sense more of a Burgundian personality. The palate unfolds gracefully to a wonderful medley of cranberry, raspberry and a little blackcurrant, which flow seamlessly into cedar, bay leaf and more graphite. The textural smoothness and harmony draws me back to my Burgundian comparison – the tannins are whispery and super-fine. Everything here is so precise, so pure and unforced – it reminds me of a graceful heron taking off and slowly gaining altitude before disappearing out of sight. A perfect trajectory is perhaps the point I am trying to make.  There is a lot to love about this Aussie Cabernet. Fans of our previous offering (the 2013) will be delighted with this. Drinks fabulously now (decant for 1-2 hours) and will live on for another 5+ years however, I personally believe it has reached it apogee… Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware.” 

96+ - 97 Points - Stuart McCloskey “The bouquet fills the room with layers of sweet spice, violets, liquorice, raspberry, bay leaf – there’s a cool mineral feel and a resemblance to a maturing Pinot Noir which intrigues. The palate is supple, succulent, and layered with spiced, sweet red and black fruits roll gently into the arms of supple, ripe tannin. The flavours keep coming with currant, bay leaf and a smidgin of dried herbs – liquorice too. Bitter coffee and dried mint creep in after a few minutes. The density is admirable – I enjoy the chew. There’s a touch of salinity rather than obvious acidity which provides relief from the richness. This is certainly a suave, seductive number and provides immediate pleasure, but does have the quality to carry on for another 5-7 years. I would suggest a few hours in a decanter before dipping your toes in. Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware.”

95-96 Points - Magdalena Sienkiewicz "Voluminous perfume filled with blackberries, mulberries and damson plums with a mix of sweet spices and black liquorice. There is a tinge of alcohol, indicative of a hot vintage but interestingly, there is also a delicate lift from fresh mint. Heady mix, certainly on the dark side of Shiraz. Nevertheless, the Small Batch Shiraz retains vigour and vibrancy as the flavours cascade on the palate echoing the exhuberant perfume. The texture is lush and savoury and the finish is super long. You get a lot of bang for your buck. Sampled without decanting, using Zalto Bordeaux glassware which brings out more savoury complexities I find."

96+ Points - Magdalena Sienkiewicz "It’s great to see Artisans venturing onto alternative varieties, which is no gimmick here as they know their craft. It includes a dash of Tempranillo (14%). The perfume exhibits the purest form of red and black cherries which dominate the nose in a most alluring way. A touch of violets and crushed minerals complement the bursting cherries. The palate follows suit although it displays a much more savoury tone than expected. A great touch of cooling minerals, dried herbs and a perfectly judged zip of acidity add a lift to the flavoursome, round structure. Those juicy cherries linger forever with a little black liquorice and minerals. Sampled without decanting and using Zalto Bordeaux glassware, which brings out more savoury complexities I find."

This wine is blended from barrels selected by the winemakers from each of their cellars. Each parcel of wine is selected for its rich and generous character, deep black fruit and spiced flavour, and smooth texture. The hallmarks of top-class Barossa Shiraz.

Fruit was sourced from vineyards across the northern and western sub-regions of Barossa Valley, including Moppa, Ebenezer, Greenock, Marananga, and Eden Valley.  A portion of the fruit was fermented whole bunch providing savoury texture, with the balance on skins for 8-10 days. The wines were aged in seasoned French and American hogsheads for approximately 12 months.

This wine is blended from barrels selected by the winemakers from each of their cellars. Each parcel of wine is selected for its rich and generous character, deep black fruit and spiced flavour, and smooth texture. The hallmarks of top-class Barossa Shiraz.

Fruit was sourced from vineyards across the northern and western sub-regions of Barossa Valley, including Moppa, Ebenezer, Greenock, Marananga, and Eden Valley.  A portion of the fruit was fermented whole bunch providing savoury texture, with the balance on skins for 8-10 days. The wines were aged in seasoned French and American hogsheads for approximately 12 months.

97+ - 98 Points - Stuart McCloskey “This is a serious step up from Floris, as you would expect. I will be truthful and declare that all three bottles (since arriving in the UK last week) have been significantly more enjoyable than our sample bottle pre-Christmas 2020 (I will add that we purchased 360 bottles from our first sample!) At first, the bouquet provides a nostalgic twist of popcorn which dissipates with a little aeration. We move onto a nutty savouriness - toasty, a touch tropical (more caramelised). Savoury transitions to Yuzu and sea spray which in turn moves onto a delicate floral character. I detect a little bitter orange peel on the finish – I could be wrong? The flavours are built around perfect structure with everything being aligned and unforced. The fruit sides with citrus – lemon, Yuzu and lime with delicate oak spices providing a point of difference. The palate feel is luxurious, ripe but far from being overripe. There’s an honest purity to the feel and flavours. Citrus clean acidity and minerally fruit. Ambitious, but keeping one hand on the Margaret River style. That said, I am pleased to see a move away from some of the more ‘slender’ examples. Wonderfully bright, balanced and dances on the palate with mouth-watering acidity and a dusting of spices… Extremely long and will provide ten years of cellaring. This will be fascinating in five (note to keep a few cases back). Decant for 20-30 minutes. Do not overchill. Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware.”

96+ Points - Stuart McCloskey “The bouquet is brimming with freshness and brooding with cedar, graphite, violets, liquorice and dark fruits with juniper, cassis, plum and damson being the main contenders. The flavours expand and draw you in with aeration (I suggest 2-3 hours in a decanter). The palate is medium bodied, the tannins svelte and the acidity providing freshness. There is an effortless quality to this Margaret River Cabernet which provides bags of flavour and wonderful length. Lots of finesse. Remarkably unforced and will suit fans of young Pauillac (those fans will pick up the lead pencil character). Drink now to 2025. Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware.”

96+ Points - Stuart McCloskey “The aromatics are a delight and dance a wonderful tune of maya lemon, homemade lemonade, jasmine in all its perfumed glory, more white flowers and the maritime climate speaks in volumes. Silky texture with flavours comparable to the bouquet; lemon juice and zest melded with stony minerality. Yuzu too but spiced – super racy. I thoroughly enjoy the pretty floral character which softens the wine slightly. Extremely satisfying, moreish and approachable now, but does offer the ‘keeper’ a further 5+ years of cellarage ahead of it. In fact, a few years in the cellar will bring this wine on… Full of energy, lots of tension and the finish is long and zesty. Wonderful intensity for a wine of this price. To summarise, a very classy offering from team Domaine Naturaliste… Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware.”